This proposal is to establish the UMDNJ-Rutgers University Pipeline Program for assisting underrepresented minority (URM) students to enter careers in biomedical research. This program's name reflects our belief that a wider pipeline is needed to increase the number of students in training for science careers. The first goal of this project is to increase the number of URM students preparing for Ph.D.'s in the biomedical sciences. This goal will be met by providing summer and academic year research programs for URM undergraduates, to prepare and motivate them for graduate studies. We will also "widen the pipeline" by establishing a transitional year program to enable disadvantaged minority students to enter the highly competitive graduate programs in the Molecular Biosciences, a collaborative effort between 5 graduate programs of these two universities. UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (RWJMS) is a leader in recruiting and graduating URM medical students. We plan to increase the number of URM students in the M.D. program who pursue research-oriented careers. This program will include support for summer and academic year research programs for URM medical students, as well as increased URM recruitment into the M.D./Ph.D. program. This proposal is based on the collaboration between the two universities in education and research, and their existing programs promoting scientific training of URMs.